ABSTRACT
Throughout my investigation I have chosen to confine this research to the first two decades of the KRG’s existence. This was not an arbitrary choice of time. Rather, this period witnessed some of the most important transitions in the KRG. This includes the consolidation of the third democratically elected parliament and cabinet, the institutionalization of the struggle against gendered violence, the signing of exploration contracts with international oil giants, and in general the consolidation of the KRG’s sovereignty over its territory vis-à-vis Baghdad.
